In "Chain of Command II," Captain Jellico tries to recruit pilots for a dangerous mission against the Cardassians. Geordi tells him that Commander Riker is the best shuttle pilot onboard. What about Data, though? I don't understand how a human being could possibly be better than an android of Data's skills at flying a spacecraft.
Answer
Data is a competent pilot, but he's too risk-averse to be a great pilot. As he says in "Nemesis":
Data: I will always be puzzled by the human predilection for piloting vehicles at unsafe velocities.
It's the difference between trusting the autopilot and flying it yourself.
We also see that although his knowledge of piloting is extensive, it doesn't match that of an experienced ship's pilot like Picard in TNG : Booby Trap. Data doesn't spot that Picard is creating a slingshot effect.
DATA : (to Picard - suprised) You have used the asteroid's gravitational pull as a slingshot. Excellent.
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